TOUR SUMMARY

SPLENDORS OF EUROPE offers this luxury escorted tour to the Loire Valley France.  This is a small group luxury tour of the Loire Valley that includes chateau accommodations, walking tours, and excursions which highlight architecture, art, history and the chateaux of the Loire Valley.  This tour has a regional focus and provides wonderful in-depth cultural experiences.  Two professional escorts ensure that everyone in our small group of 12 or less has a friendly and personally rewarding personalized experience.  Travel to the Loire Valley from Paris by first class high speed train where you’ll enjoy in-depth cultural and grand gourmet culinary experiences.   The tour includes wine tasting, hot air ballooning and escorted visits to many castles and chateaux.   Travel to the Loire Valley and enjoy the Chateaux of the Loire Valley tour with SPLENDORS OF EUROPE.  You'll have the best vacation trip ever.  Visit the hotel, restaurant, and tour photo galleries at the end of this page.

We travel by the world’s fastest train, the TGV to the Loire Valley where we check into our beautiful château. We explore our castle before we enjoy lunch in its elegant dining room.

This afternoon, we visit the Amboise Château and Leonardo da Vinci’s home, Clos-Lucé Castle. This evening we enjoy an elegant dinner at our château. B+L+D

This morning we enjoy a wonderful experience, hot air ballooning over the châteaux of the Loire Valley. We meet our pilots as they prepare the balloon. Soon we’re floating over the Loire Valley, enjoying views of the châteaux, castles, towns, and rivers.

Champagne corks pop when we land and we celebrate our memorable journey.

Today we go to Chenonceaux where we enjoy a splendid lunch.

This afternoon we tour Chenonceaux Château. Spanning the river Cher, this château is considered by many to be the most attractive in the Loire Valley. We also enjoy the two lovely gardens before refreshments on the grounds of the château in a delightful restaurant that was once the stables of the château.

Tonight dinner is enjoyed in the town of Amboise at you leisure. B+L

This morning we enjoy the medieval fortress castle of Langeais. This well preserved castle was begun in 1465 for defense against the English. The castle is complete with drawbridge, towers, turrets and huge walls. Inside we see a fine collection of period furnishings and tapestries. We stroll through the small town of Langeais where we enjoy lunch.

This afternoon we visit Villandry. Here we visit not only the wonderful château but the fabulous medieval gardens.   This evening we walk through old town Tours with its medieval half-timbered houses and see the gothic Cathedral St-Gatien before dinner at your leisure in town. B+L

This morning we visit château Azay-le-Rideau. Surrounded by a moat, it’s an idyllic picture of a château. It’s considered a jewel with perfect proportions and elegant decoration.

After we enjoy a gourmet lunch at the l’Aigle d’Or in Azay-le-Rideau.

This afternoon we visit Château d’Usse. With its many towers this fairy tail castle is famous for inspiring the legend of Sleeping Beauty.

Chantilly is considered one of the most beautiful in all Europe. Here we visit the Château and the Conde Museum. We see beautiful furnishings and great works by van Dyck, Botticelli, Rubens and many other great masters. We also visit the Museum Vivant du Cheval, with stables fit for a king.

Lunch is enjoyed in the hameau hidden in the trees near the palatial French gardens.